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From: b27y@vax5.CIT.CORNELL.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: evolution of intelligence
Message-ID: <19229@vax5.CIT.CORNELL.EDU>
Date: 4 Aug 89 18:15:51 GMT
References: <2153@hub.UUCP>
Sender: news@vax5.CIT.CORNELL.EDU
Reply-To: b27y@vax5.cit.cornell.edu (Michael Gray)
Organization: Cornell Information Technologies, Ithaca NY
Lines: 36


This arguement brings up an interesting problem that I have with evolution:
	Isn't it just a little far fetched to think that genetic 
"advancements" like intellegence happened using only the mechinisms of
random selection of genes and survival of the fittest.  

Before anyone worries: I am not arguing for a higher power (God etc.)
I just think that those two mechinisms don't seem to be enough..  I realize
that the evidence doesn't stack up much in my favor.

questions:
	What about "reverse" evolution?  Some researchers (I do not remember
all the details) I recall seem to have found evidence of speices which
evolved attributes which made survival HARDER.  More specifically: A type of
pike, whose teeth where evovling so that they stick outwards, which made
cating and eating prey MORE difficult?  This deosn't seem possible under the
orignal Dawrininan discriptions.

	This of course implies to me that there may be something more to
evolution, some other factors influencing how we reproduce.  The only
preminition that I have had is that the mechinism of mutation may not be as
random as it seems.

Is there any evidence which supports this? or am I just opening myself up
to net.flame as heretic of the month. I am also interested in results of
Genetic algorithms which may contadict me.  

--misha--
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